Developing A Culturally-Sensitive Teaching Framework for Creative Art Education in the Afigya Kwabre South District, Ghana
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Keywords
Akan artistic heritage, culturally responsive pedagogy, cultural competence, culturally-sensitive teaching framework
Abstract
In a postcolonial setting, culturally responsive education is an urgent issue. Still, little systematic consideration is given to how teachers of art perceive, practice and work towards the integration of indigenous culture into the classroom, or what a viable, teacher-led model of culturally responsive education might include. This article aims to directly address these gaps by drawing on a larger qualitative study conducted on cultural competency in Creative Art education in the Afigya Kwabre South District of the Ashanti Region, Ghana. Using semi-structured interviews with ten purposively selected Junior High School (JHS). Creative Art teachers drawn from two schools in the district were analysed thematically. Results indicate that teachers agree on cultural integration as essential and central, not ancillary, to the teaching of art, and that there is a coherent and informal pedagogical repertoire of using stories, demonstration, project-based learning, and indigenous materials in the teaching of art. These findings led to the development of the Culturally-Sensitive Art Teaching Framework, which is based on four interconnected components: Cultural Grounding, Pedagogical Responsiveness, Community Partnership, and Reflective Assessment. The article ends with some practical suggestions for curriculum authorities, teacher education, and collaboration with the community in post-colonial educational contexts like that of Ghana.
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